This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light and not as admissions of prior art.
In various oil and gas applications, lengths of tubular, wellhead and BOP components, and various other types of equipment are often coupled together end to end to define an internal bore through which fluids and equipment can be communicated. API hubs with specific pressure ratings are used to form and seal connections that will be exposed to high pressure operating conditions. Typically, API hubs are mounted onto the ends of the equipment to be coupled together, and a hub clamp is positioned around the two hubs to retain the API hubs together during operation of the equipment.
To establish the clamping connection, the hub clamp impinges on angled surfaces of the opposing hubs and, when tightened, provides a compressive action on the hubs to generate a seal (e.g., when used with sealing rings). The hub clamp then has to maintain the clamping force generated on the API hubs to facilitate effective operation of the equipment under high pressure operational conditions. The joint can later be broken by simply releasing the hub clamp, thereby allowing the hubs to be separated.
Conventional hub clamps generally include two opposing clamp halves that are drawn together via a stud/nut combination at one end to tighten the clamp halves against the API hubs. As the stud/nut combination is tightened, the clamp halves push against the hubs to generate the compressive force needed to seal the connection. Unfortunately, these existing hub clamps are often bulky and cumbersome to fit around the hubs, leading to alignment issues when being positioned around the API hubs prior to tightening. Existing hub clamps also require high torque capacity equipment to operate the stud/nut connection. Further, these hub clamps are often constructed via bespoke manufacturing, such that a specific clamp is required and only compatible with a specific hub arrangement.